The Ultimate Guide to Installing and Setting Up a WordPress Multisite Network

Hello friend! If you‘re looking to run a network of WordPress sites, you‘ve come to the right place. WordPress multisite allows you to manage any number of sites from a single dashboard, and in this guide, I‘ll walk you through exactly how to get it set up.

Did you know that WordPress powers over 43% of all websites? It‘s hands-down the most popular way to build sites. And many of the biggest brands use WordPress multisite to manage their web presence:

• Best Buy runs over 1000 store sites with WordPress multisite
• The New York Times uses it to host all their blogs
• Xerox‘s 140 international sites run on a WordPress multisite network

Over 100,000 WordPress sites use the multisite feature, and it‘s easy to see why. Instead of managing dozens of separate WordPress installs, multisite lets you keep everything under one roof for easy management, updates, and security.

As a WordPress developer for over a decade, I‘ve helped countless clients get multisite networks up and running. So I‘ll share all the best practices I‘ve learned over the years. By the end of this guide, you‘ll have your own multisite network ready to go!

What Is WordPress Multisite (And When to Use It)

First, let‘s cover the basics. WordPress multisite is a feature that allows you to create a network of subsites, all running on a single WordPress installation. You‘ll have one main site and the ability to spin up new subsites with just a few clicks.

All the subsites share the same codebase, plugins, and themes. But each one has separate content, media uploads, and admin settings. As the super admin, you can manage everything from the network dashboard.

So when does it make sense to use WordPress multisite? Here are some common use cases:

• Your company has separate sites for each location or department
• You‘re building a network of blogs on related topics
• You want to offer a hosted WordPress solution to your customers
• Your school needs individual sites for each class or department
• You‘re making a network of portfolio sites to showcase your work

On the other hand, multisite is overkill if you‘re just running a few standalone sites. Since they share server resources, one busy subsite could slow down the whole network. For totally separate sites, it‘s better to keep them on their own individual WordPress installations.

WordPress Multisite Requirements and Setup Process

While WordPress multisite is powerful, it has some specific server requirements. To get the most seamless experience, you‘ll want to use a host that offers:

• One-click multisite installation
• Automatic wildcard subdomains (for subdomain networks)
• Easy SSL certificate installation for subsites
• A managed WordPress dashboard for multisite-specific controls

Based on my experience, these hosts provide the best setup experience for WordPress multisite:

Any of these will get your multisite network online with minimal hassle. But if you choose a different host, here are the general requirements:

• Latest version of WordPress
• Apache or Nginx web server
• PHP version 7.4 or higher
• MySQL version 5.6 or higher
• SSH and WP-CLI access

With the right environment in place, the actual WordPress multisite setup process involves 3 main steps:

1. Enable the multisite feature with a line of code in wp-config.php
2. Choose subdomains or subdirectories for your network
3. Run the network setup wizard and add rewrite rules

There are a few other considerations and best practices to keep in mind, but we‘ll cover all that in the detailed setup instructions below.

Step-by-Step WordPress Multisite Setup Tutorial

Alright, let‘s walk through getting your WordPress multisite network up and running from scratch! Just follow along with each step.

Step 1: Set up a Fresh WordPress Install

If you‘re using one of the hosts I recommended above, go ahead and spin up a new WordPress site with their one-click installation. No need to do anything else for this step!

If you‘re setting it up manually, you‘ll need to:

1. Download the latest version of WordPress
2. Create a new MySQL database
3. Upload the WordPress files to your server
4. Run the famous 5-minute install

If this is your first time installing WordPress, check out the official guide for more details.

Step 2: Enable WordPress Multisite

With your fresh WordPress install up and running, it‘s time to flip on the multisite feature.

1. Connect to your server via SFTP or SSH and open the wp-config.php file.

2. Just before the line that says /* That‘s all, stop editing! Happy publishing. */, paste in the following line of code:

   define(‘WP_ALLOW_MULTISITE‘, true);

3. Save the file.

And that‘s it! WordPress multisite is now enabled, but we still need to configure a few settings.

Step 3: Choose Subdomains vs Subdirectories

The next choice you need to make is how your network‘s URLs will be structured. You have two options:

1. Subdomains (site1.example.com, site2.example.com, etc.)
2. Subdirectories (example.com/site1, example.com/site2, etc.)

Here‘s a quick comparison of the key differences:

In general, subdomains offer more flexibility but require a little extra setup. Subdirectories are simpler but your subsites may feel less like standalone sites.

If you‘re going the subdomain route, you‘ll need to configure wildcard subdomains before the next step. Here are instructions for common hosts:

• WP Engine wildcard subdomains
• Kinsta wildcard subdomains
• Flywheel wildcard subdomains
• cPanel wildcard subdomains

Step 4: Run the Network Setup Wizard

Time to finish up the configuration! Navigate to the Tools > Network Setup page in your WordPress dashboard.

If you‘re using subdomains, select the Subdomains option. If you‘re using subdirectories, choose Subdirectories. Enter a title for your network and double check the email address. Then, click the Install button.

On the next screen, you‘ll see some code snippets that need to be added to your wp-config.php and .htaccess files:

1. Copy the first block of code and paste it into your wp-config.php file, replacing the line you added in step 2.
2. Copy the second block of code and completely replace the contents of your .htaccess file.

Be sure to save both files when you‘re done.

Finally, log out of your WordPress site and log back in. You should now see a new My Sites menu in the admin bar, and a Network Admin dashboard where you can configure additional settings.

Congratulations, your WordPress multisite network is live!

Essential Multisite Network Configuration Settings

Now that your multisite network is set up, take some time to explore the new network admin dashboard. This is where you can configure settings that affect all sites on your network.

Here are some of the key settings you‘ll want to review under the Network Settings page:

• Registration Settings: Decide whether you want to allow open registration for new user accounts or sites. If you‘re running a network for the public, it‘s best to keep these turned off.
• New Site Settings: Configure the default options for each new site. You can customize the admin email, first post content, and default plugins.
• Upload Settings: Set upload space limits for each subsite to make sure your storage doesn‘t get eaten up.
• Language Settings: Choose the default language for your network. For multilingual networks, you can also install translations and allow individual subsites to choose their language.
• Menu Settings: Decide whether to show or hide the themes and plugins page for subsite admins. To retain full control, I recommend keeping these options disabled.

Take your time configuring your multisite settings. It‘s better to get it right from the beginning than to make major changes down the road.

Adding New Sites and Users to Your Network

With your network configured, the fun begins! Let‘s cover how to add new subsites.

Creating Subsites

1. From the Network Admin dashboard, go to Sites > Add New.
2. Enter a name for the site, and the slug will automatically populate (e.g. "My Awesome Site" will become myawesomesite).
3. Choose the subsite‘s admin email. You can add an existing account or create a new user.
4. Click Add Site and you‘re done!

Each subsite you add will appear under the All Sites list, where you can quickly edit each one.

Adding Network Users

If you left the registration settings open, users can create their own accounts on any subsite.

But you‘ll probably want to manually add users, especially for your first few subsites. Here‘s how:

1. From the main network dashboard, go to Users > Add New.
2. Fill out the account details, and be sure to choose the correct role:
   • Super Admin: Can manage network settings and access all sites
   • Administrator: Can manage an individual subsite
   • Editor, Author, Contributor, Subscriber: These roles are the same as on a standalone WordPress site
3. When you‘re done, click Add User.

You can also add existing users to a subsite by editing the user account. Just scroll down to Sites and check the subsites they should have access to, along with their role for each one.

Essential WordPress Multisite Plugins

One of the huge benefits of WordPress multisite is that you can activate plugins for your entire network at once. Your subsites will automatically have access to any network-activated plugins.

Here are some of my must-have plugins for every multisite network:

• Yoast SEO: The top SEO toolkit for WordPress. With multisite, you can manage SEO settings for your entire network and for individual subsites.
• WP Super Cache: A popular caching plugin to speed up your network. You can control caching settings at the network level or for each subsite.
• Snapshot Pro: Automatic scheduled backups for your entire network. You can also backup and restore individual subsites.
• Defender Pro: A comprehensive security toolkit to lock down your network. It includes network-wide scans, logging, blacklist monitoring, and more.
• User Switching: Lets you quick switch between user accounts for easy testing and debugging. As a super admin, you can access any subsite without logging out of the network.

To network-activate a plugin:

1. Install and activate the plugin like your normally would from Plugins > Add New.
2. In the plugin list, click Network Activate under the plugin name.

Once activated, you can configure the plugin‘s network settings from the main network dashboard.

Multisite Backup and Migration Considerations

It‘s crucial to have a solid backup system in place for your multisite network. With multiple sites storing content in one database, there‘s more at stake if something goes wrong.

At a minimum, you‘ll want to perform regular full-site backups. Most backup plugins have an option for multisite-compatible backups. My favorites are UpdraftPlus and Snapshot Pro.

Store backups in at least one off-site location, like Dropbox or Google Drive. And make sure to regularly test restoring your backups. There‘s nothing worse than discovering your backups are broken when you actually need them!

When it comes to migrating a WordPress multisite install to a new server, it‘s not as straightforward as moving a single site. Because of the way subsites are stored in the database, you can‘t simply copy the files and database to a new location.

Instead, you‘ll need to use a migration plugin that supports multisite. UpdraftPlus Migrator is a great choice. It handles all the intricacies of bundling up your multisite content and moving it safely to a new host.

WordPress Multisite FAQ

Before we wrap up, let me address some of the most frequently asked questions about WordPress multisite.

When should I avoid using WordPress multisite?

Don‘t use multisite if you need to run sites with radically different plugins, themes, and server requirements. The beauty of multisite is having a consistent environment across your network.

It‘s also best to avoid multisite for mission-critical sites that need guaranteed resources. Since subsites share the same hosting environment, one problematic site could bring down the whole network.

How can I let users map their own domains?

You can use a domain mapping plugin like WordPress MU Domain Mapping. It lets your subsite admins map their site to a custom domain, which is great for making your subsites feel more independent.

What happens when I deactivate a network-activated plugin?

When you deactivate a network-activated plugin, it‘s deactivated on every site on your network. The plugin‘s data and settings are preserved. If you reactivate the plugin, each subsite will keep its individual settings.

Can I use a multisite network for eCommerce?

Absolutely! WooCommerce, the most popular eCommerce plugin for WordPress, works great with multisite. You can network-activate it so every subsite can create their own store.

Is multisite slower than normal WordPress?

It depends. A well-configured multisite network with quality hosting and caching can be blazing fast. Problems arise when one of your subsites starts hogging resources. With proactive monitoring, you can identify problem sites before they slow down your entire network.

Where can I get more multisite support?

The official WordPress.org multisite forum is a great place for free community support. There are also some stellar premium options:

• WPMU DEV Multisite Support
• WordPress Multisite Stack Exchange
• Managed WordPress Multisite Hosting Support

I‘m also happy to help out in the comments section of this post!

Go Forth and Multisite!

Well, friend, we‘ve covered a ton of ground in this guide. By now, you should have the knowledge and tools to get your own WordPress multisite network up and running.

While the setup process does take some work, WordPress multisite is incredibly powerful for running a whole fleet of sites. Just remember to choose quality hosting that supports multisite and won‘t buckle under the load.

If you get stuck or have any questions, feel free to reach out in the comments. I‘ll do my best to help out.

Now go forth and multisite!